texasdan

I am taking family on an Alaska 7 day cruise in September. It ends in Seward and we are planning to stay a few extra days. My question is, photographically should be stay in Seward to take the coastal cruise or take the train to Denali? We can only stay an extra 2-3 days, so we can't do both.

cahale Loc: San Angelo, TX

Rent a car and go where no man has gone before. That puts you in control.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

I was in Seward a year ago as part of an RV tour. An option was a "coastal cruise" where the tourists were stuffed into a boat and went to Juneau and back. Reviews were not positive unless you found the (very expensive) crab shack in Juneau. The train was more unique and got better reviews.

We elected neither and explored Seward itself. It was delightful.

John Matthews Loc: Wasilla, Alaska

What does the coastal cruise cover? What is the rest of your trip’s events?

texasdan

glacers and whales. Cruise is 7 days inside passage.

ricardo00

If you take the train to Denali, do you still have time to go into Denali by bus? And then take the train back? The Seward boat rides are just a day? We have done both, gone into Denali and taken the boat rides from Seward. Both are fun. But since you have already been on the boat, maybe do Denali? But not sure if the road is open when you go and how far one can go in? Or just explore Seward. Go to the Sea Life Center in Seward? It is great.

One can see marine life on the boats leaving Seward like this otter that caught a octopus:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/60519499@N00/28194508040/in/photolist-JXsdXA-JtxWr9

And on the bus into Denali one can see caribou, moose, brown bears, etc (usually at a distance):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/60519499@N00/28420077881/in/photolist-JXsd9G-LxXrB9-Js4gVH-Jtx59L-JXJmKs-Kiok1M-KkT1Pm

John Matthews Loc: Wasilla, Alaska

Since you are already doing a cruise I would try the train ride. If the weather is cooperative the scenery is beautiful. Take the bus trip in for an excellent chance to view animals making the last minute preparations for winter. Part of the park roadway was closed d/t damage 1-2 years ago and I am not sure if it will be open all the way in this year.

ArcticTrails Loc: Valdez Alaska

You can bet on rain most of the month of September in Seward but the fall colors should be pretty good at Denali.

Cheers,
Kai

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

There are many sites on the internet that will allow you to read how folks rated both trips, you will find many many replies there.

Mr. B Loc: eastern Connecticut

Since you only have a couple of days I'd rent a car and stay on the Kenai Peninsula. Check out Exit Glacier about 10 miles from town, tour the Seavy sled dog kennels and tour.Drive up to Soldotna and Kenai village and check out the Russian Orthodox church and cemetery, drive south to Anchor Point (the westernmost driveable point in the USA) and photograph eagles. Continue south to Homer and Homer Spit.

A second route would be to check out the aforementioned Seward sights and then drive north to Portage and Girdwood (tram there to the top of the mountain) and continue up scenic Turnagain Arm to Anchorage. Check out the fantastic Anchorage Museum, the Army-Navy Store (where you can buy almost virtually anything for a wilderness trip) and have lunch at Humpy's on 6th Avenue. Try the halibut sandwich.

If you do take the train ride instead, check out the museums in Talkeetna, the gateway to Denali. Be forewarned that your chances of seeing Mt. Denali are slim if you have only one day. The Great One makes a lot of her own weather. I've spent days in Kantishna in the heart of the Park with no view and then have a brilliant day where you can photograph her with no cloud interference.

I'll say one more thing. A cruise or train ride is AOK. But you'll never, ever truly experience Alaska without driving or doing a flyout or two. So far I have a paltry 5,000 mile Alaska driving record and 17 days in the bush. Alaska is huge!

Mr. B Loc: eastern Connecticut

Sorry for the double post. Haste makes waste.

V2volk Loc: St. Louis area

The boat tour in Seward would be to from Major Marine or the other company and the good ones last about 6 hours. They aren’t cheap however If the weather is good you see a lot of wildlife. Caution, if prone to sea sickness be careful because on a rough day they can be nasty. Remember September is really the end of season especially after the first week and rain likely. Just in case you don’t know there is a beautiful Hanging Glacier just outside of Seward to see and walk to if you are a hiker. Now, I have taken the train from Seward all the way to Denali as well and it is fantastic especially between Seward and Anchorage. Honestly my concern for you is limited time. Basically it takes a good part of the day to get to Anchorage. Then you may or may not have to overnight in Anchorage. Then another full day to Denali leaving you no time to tour the Park via the bus. Then you need to fly back from either Fairbanks or Anchorage. Ck that train schedule carefully to see if it works for you. Remember more time via bus or train needed to get back to Fairbanks (much closer) or Anchorage.
Maybe you can stay in Seward 1 night, do stuff there and take train to Anchorage the next morning. FYI, you could do the boat the day you get off the ship, it’s right there and they will hold your luggage. You get to experience a little of both this way. Denali is great but just concerned about your limited time. Best of luck in your planning.

photosfromtexas

I lived there and agree: go for the colors further north.

ChrisKet Loc: Orange, CA

We loved the Kenai Boat Tour out of Seward…six hours and all sorts of wildlife, glaciers, beauty.

Agree with previous comments about train to Denali. The real fun in Denali is the bus tour into the Park after you get there. So, the amount of time you have available is an important consideration.

donspears Loc: Joshua, TX

We have done this cruise several times and will be going again in May. We did the whale watching and boat tour there in Seward after disembarking (the local excursion office stored our luggage and forwarded to the train) and then took the train to Anchorage that evening staying in a hotel in Anchorage. Then the next day we rented a car and drove to Denali stopping at several locations for photo opportunities. When you get to the park you need to take a bus into the park but you can stay overnight in the lodge and then return to Anchorage the next day for a midnight flight back to the lower 48 giving some additional time in the park for early morning photos.